If you had the power to change something crucial in the plot of Little Women, what would it be? Keep Beth from dying? Or amend "the most frustrating romantic outcome in any book ever," as narrator Emily puts it, and have Jo marry Laurie?
When Emily's high school freshman English teacher tells the class to pick a book they love and change one thing, the assignment sounds like a snap. Except that, as Emily looks though her much-read copy of Little Women, somehow she finds herself in it. In the story, in the Marches' living room, in the family of sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy--and in the 1800s with no indoor plumbing. But some things don't change. Just as it is in her own family, Emily is the forgotten middle March sister, struggling to stand out and get her fair share. Now that she is ensconced in the book, Emily finds she doesn't want Laurie to be swept up by Amy or Jo. No, she decides she wants him for herself!
Fans of Little Women will have great fun reliving the story through the eyes of Emily, a modern teen in an old-fashioned world. They will also enjoy Baratz-Logsted's (the Sisters 8 series) fresh take on time-honored scenes. Emily learns a lot during her time with her fictional family, including how to love and respect her sisters and, more importantly, herself.
This book is not for the uninitiated, but for devotees of Alcott's story, it's a satisfying romp through the beloved classic. --Lynn Becker, host of the monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI, Book Talk